Stonegate, Rock the Desert help draw Christian bands to Midland

by Megan LeaMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 6:00 pm, Tuesday, November 3, 2009

By Megan Lea Buck

Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Fans of Christian rock music will have the opportunity to sing along with the award-winning band MercyMe and special guests Tenth Avenue North and Jonny Diaz this Thursday at Stonegate Fellowship Church.

This will be the band's second consecutive year to play at the church, following last fall's sold-out performance.

This year, MercyMe contacted Stonegate to arrange another concert for an enthusiastic West Texas audience.

With the annual Rock the Desert festival and numerous artists performing at churches and other local venues, some might say Midland has become a hotspot for Christian rock.

Big-name artists who recently have performed in the Tall City include Rush of Fools, Bebo Norman, Sanctus Real and BarlowGirl.

Last summer Rock the Desert celebrated its 10th anniversary, bringing in Christian music heavyweights such as TobyMac, Switchfoot and Chris Tomlin to anchor the festival. More than 14,000 people attended from the Permian Basin, 13 other states and Mexico, said RTD founder Marcy Tull.

"I think most of the people who come from out of state are coming with their youth groups and a lot of them camp out at the festival," she said. "This has just become one of those events that youth groups put into their schedule every year."

Tull credits the increased number of concerts in Midland to a growing popularity of Christian rock in the music industry and — due to the yearly festival — to recognition of the area by the artists, producers and agents.

"Before Rock the Desert, there just weren't that many Christian tours that would come through here," she said. "With Rock the Desert more of the tour managers and agencies are aware of the area."

With their involvement in Rock the Desert and an auditorium-style sanctuary that seats 1,500, Stonegate has played a central role in making Midland a regular stop for Christian rock bands.

"The word got out in that community of Christian artists that Midland is a great place to play," said David McReynolds, Stonegate's worship pastor.

Through Rock the Desert, the church's staff members have formed relationships with several Christian artists, allowing the church to host more concerts.

"We just began seeking out artists we thought our church body and community would connect with and sought to bring them in," McReynolds said. "Music is a big part of what we do here … (and) that's been a component of maybe us attracting people to this campus to create an audience with them."

Although many Christian rock artists tend to appeal to a younger fan base, McReynolds said the shows at Stonegate attract youth and young adults as well as those in their 40s and 50s.

"If you look across our crowd, it's pretty surprising to see a really diverse age range in the room," he said.

Focused on the goal of making music available to the community, Stonegate keeps ticket prices low.

"We try to make it to where it's affordable for people to go and it's not a burden on the church," McReynolds said.

As the church's founding pastor, the Rev. Patrick Payton said music always has been a priority at Stonegate, and staff members work to combine contemporary and traditional music in their worship services.

"I think we've known from the beginning that Christian music has been gaining in popularity," he said.

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"This community has always enjoyed seeing national talent come here and it's just important to us as a church to bring that talent in."